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St. Louis June 25 - 28, 2023

Featured Mainstage Presenters

Heather Crider

Heather J. Crider is a leading expert on high-performance growth, thought transformation, brain re-training, stress reduction, and burnout recovery.

She helps connect companies to their people and connects people to themselves.

Heather has been featured in Forbes, Yahoo Finance, Brainz Magazine, and Thrive Global and hosts The Go Reflect Yourself Podcast.

Her interactive and highly practical approach has assisted hundreds of individuals and organizations all over the world in helping enhance innovation and focus using simple solutions based on the latest neuroscience discoveries as well as learning how to:

Communicate confidently,

Connect courageously, and

Collaborate compassionately.

She is a certified NeuroCoach and is among a select group of certified Search Inside Yourself Facilitators in the world who are part of a groundbreaking system developed by Google.

Having been a CEO herself and worked with many Fortune 500 companies, Heather has first-hand experience with the demands and stress of life; she brings this experience to help her clients through her brain-optimizing strategies.

Heather helps professionals (re)discover their greatness so they can have more fulfilled and productive lives with less stress and more time, money, and freedom.

Heather's mission is to transform one mind and one thought at a time.

When she isn’t helping others, she attends one of her two children’s sporting events or reads a good book while enjoying a fresh pour-over coffee.

Daryl Davis

Daryl Davis is committed to helping people ignite positive change – using conversation to build bridges. His jaw-dropping experiences speak for themselves. For nearly 40 years, he’s engaged leaders of the KKK and White supremacist groups face to face to find the answer to a question: “How can you hate me when you don’t even know me?” That question stemmed fromhis first encounter with racism at age ten when he was pelted with rocks, bottles, and soda cans by a handful of White spectators while marching in a parade. Seeking to understand, not to change minds, Daryl met their hatred with civility, patience, and listening. Those conversations spawned genuine and lasting friendships with many who changed their own minds and disavowed hateful beliefs. Some even gave Daryl their robes and hoods when they did. As a speaker, Daryl is an extraordinary storyteller who inspires and empowers audiences with tools they can use to make better workplaces, communities, and relations with family and friends. Daryl’s work is chronicled in his book Klan-Destine Relationships and the documentary Accidental Courtesy. Daryl’s TEDx talk has over 12 million views.

Daryl graduated from Howard University with his Bachelor of Music Degree. He has performed extensively with Chuck Berry, The Legendary Blues Band (formerly The Muddy Waters Blues Band), and many others. While music is his profession, improving race relations is his obsession. He is known to many as “The Rock'n'Roll Race Reconciliator.”

It started during a break between performances with a band at a bar one night. A man approached Daryl and remarked that this was the first time he had ever seen a Black man play piano like Jerry Lee Lewis. Daryl explained that both he and Lewis were influenced by Black Blues & Boogie-Woogie pianists, from which Rock'n'Roll and Rockabilly evolved. The man did not believe in the Black origin of Daryl’s piano style even after he said that Lewis was a friend who had shared this news with him. The man then shared news with Daryl – he was a member of the Ku Klux Klan.

This meeting, and those that followed, would lead Daryl on a journey all over America, meeting and interviewing leaders and members from KKK, neo-Nazi and Alt-Right groups at both his and their homes as well as their rallies. With his highly acclaimed, nonfiction book, Klan-Destine Relationships, Daryl become the first Black author to write a book on the Klan from in-person interviews. The award-winning documentary, Accidental Courtesy, details his journey and has been shown frequently on PBS. Daryl, who has been to 57 countries on 6 continents, is often selected by the U.S. State Department as a highly respected expert on race relations and conflict, to present programs in various countries around the world dealing with similar situations. His next book, The Klan Whisperer, is anticipated to be released in 2022.

Daryl has been doing this work since 1983 and has become the recipient of numerous Klan robes & hoods and other racist symbols, given to him by people who once hated him when they didn't even know him. Now many of them have become his friends and supporters of his work. On the other side of spectrum, for his work in bridging race relations he is the recipient of numerous awards such as the American Ethical Union's prestigious Elliott-Black Award, Carnegie-Mellon's Carl Sagan Award & Prize, Tribeca Disruption Innovation Award, MLK Award, Search for Common Ground Award, Washington Ethical Society Bridge-Builder Award, among many others. He is often sought for commentary by CNN, MSNBC, ABC News, Newsweek, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, People magazine, and many other media sources.

In Daryl’s words, “Ever since I graduated from college in 1980 with my degree in music, I’ve been a full-time musician, traveling and performing all over America and around the world. What I’ve come to find to be the greatest, most effective, and successful weapon we can use to combat ignorance, racism, hatred, and violence, is also the least expensive weapon and the one that is least used by Americans. That weapon is called communication. We can communicate with people in space but many of us have difficulty talking to the person who lives next door because of the color of their skin, their ethnicity, their religion, their orientation, their politics, etc. We are living with 21st century technology in Space Age times, but there are still too many of us with Stone Age minds.”

Daryl has come in closer contact with more members of the Ku Klux Klan than most White people, and certainly most Blacks, short of being on the wrong end of a rope. What's more surprising? He intentionally continues to do so because as he says, “Ignorance breeds fear. If you do not keep that fear in check, that fear will breed hatred. Because we hate those things that frighten us. If you do not keep that hatred in check, that hatred in turn will breed destruction because we want to destroy those things that we hate. Why? Because they frighten us.

”When he speaks, Daryl Davis’s impact on an audience is sobering yet inspirational. More than a few members in every audience remember and ask him about the fictional character in Dave Chappelle’s comedic skit in which he plays a blind Klansman who didn't know he was Black and attends Klan rallies. Daryl shares stories that would be comical, if he weren’t putting his life on the line for a purpose. Truth is indeed stranger than fiction might ever be in Daryl’s case. People will also point out how courageous Daryl was to actually turn up at Klan rallies himself. Inevitably they bring up Spike Lee’s film BlacKkKlansman. That film depicts a Black police officer who infiltrated the KKK over the telephone and would send a White subordinate officer to Klan rallies in his place to gather damning intelligence against the Klan. The difference is not lost on the audience. Daryl had his feet on the ground in the lion's den and tells the story first-hand.

Through his work, Daryl has discovered a successful method of transforming enemies into friends. His stories of his encounters with – and transformations of – White supremacists have inspired people all over the U.S. and abroad. His audiences leave his presentations empowered to:

         

  •  Overcome Their Fears

         

  •  Confront Their Prejudices

         

  • Recognize Similarities

         

  • Appreciate Differences

         

  • Navigate Diversity

         

  • Improve Relationships with Others

         

  • Better Their Lives While Creating a Positive Impact on Others

In addition to his career as a performing musician, Daryl is the owner of Lyrad Music, a music publishing and licensing business. He is also an actor of stage and screen and has appeared in HBO's highly acclaimed series The Wire.

Amelia Rose Earhardt

As a boundary-pushing around the world pilot, Amelia Rose Earhart knows exactly what it takes to venture into uncharted territory- with confidence.

With the odds stacked against her, Amelia not only trained to become a pilot, but to become the type of pilot to choose honor the person she was named after, Amelia Mary Earhart, by piloting a single-engine airplane (Pilatus PC-12NG) 28,000 Nautical Miles around the globe. To accomplish this, Amelia developed a flight plan all her own, and while reporting full-time as on air, TV helicopter reporter, completed private, instrument and commercial pilot training, crafted an entrepreneurial and strategic business plan to design, fund and market her around the world attempt, raised close to $2 million in partnerships with 28 corporations, founded and ran the Fly With Amelia Foundation, which sent numerous teenage girls to flight school, and more.

Today, Amelia Rose Earhart is a full-time speaker, podcast host, and artist who incorporates the lessons of her 2014 global flight into every aspect of her professional and personal life. Amelia is excited to share the remaining funds from the Fly With Amelia Foundation to another aviation charity helping to promote women in aviation and will be sharing exciting details soon. From the Air Force Thunderbirds, to the Reagan Library, to corporations like Capital One, Lockheed Martin and United Healthcare, Amelia’s list of clients who trust her message of agility continues to grow.

Amelia is currently submitting her manuscript, The Ups and the Downs of Turbulence, which she wrote with author Kristin Clark Taylor, during Winter of 2020. Memorabilia from Amelia’s flight around the world can be found at her permanent display at Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum in Denver, CO.

Guylaine Saint Juste

Guylaine Saint Juste, SHRM-SCP, CAE - 2022 Most Powerful Women in Accounting

Guylaine Saint Juste serves as President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Association of Black Accountants, Inc. (NABA), a nonprofit membership association that represents more than 200,000 Black professionals in accounting, finance, and related business professions.

Saint Juste serves as a corporate officer on NABA’s Board of Directors, overseeing the organization and spearheading the execution of NABA’s multi-year strategic plan. She brings over 25 years of experience in the financial services industry to her role as NABA’s leader, including previously working as Senior Vice President, Virginia Market Executive at Capital One Bank.

A change maker, innovator and activist at heart, Saint Juste joined NABA in February 2021 to create a platform that will educate, empower and mobilize Black Business Leaders, advance equitable representation in the industry and foster meaningful career connections to close the opportunity gap long the talent continuum, from high school to the C suite and business ownership, offer strategic thought partnership to business and academia, and accelerate Black representation at all levels of executive leadership.

Guylaine was recently recognized by the AICPA and CPA Practice Advisor as one of the 2022 Most Powerful Women in Accounting for her significant contributions to the profession. She is a driving force in creating a culture of excellence, innovation, and inclusion. Her leadership has had a demonstrable effect upon the accomplishments of NABA Inc., its members, and corporate partners.

Prior to joining NABA, Saint Juste was Executive Director of the National Capital Region for Year Up, a national workforce development organization that works to ensure equitable access to economic opportunity, education, and justice for all young adults. During her five-year tenure, Saint Juste doubled the number of students Year Up served in the region, launched new curriculum and course tracks, and improved outcomes across all key performance indicators, growing revenue by over 40%.

Saint Juste is the Founder and Co-Chair of the George Mason Women in Business Initiative, previously served as President and Co-founder of the Women’s Alliance for Financial Education (WAFE) and was a board member for Goodwill of Greater Washington for nine years.

Saint Juste holds a B.A. in International Relations from George Mason University and earned her graduate degree in retail banking management from the University of Virginia.

Mark Schulman

MARK SCHULMAN has enjoyed an unprecedented career over the last 30 years as a first call drummer for world-class rock and pop artists. He was voted ‘Top 3 Pop-Rock Drummers’ in the Modern Drummer Reader's Poll in 2014 and was the featured cover artist in the May 2019 issue of Modern Drummer. Mark did four record breaking world tours with P!NK from 2006-2019.

 

Mark recently received the highly revered certification of CSP- Certified Speaking Professional from the National Speakers Association. Mark now spends a great deal of his time as an international corporate speaker for clients such as American Express, Microsoft, IBM, DELL Cisco, Aveda, Kaiser, NCAA, SAP and more.

Mark’s resume reads like a “Who’s Who” of international Rock n’ Roll royalty including acts such as Cher, BILLY IDOL, FOREIGNER, SHERYL CROW, STEVIE NICKS, BEYONCE’ and so many other world–class artists. He has drummed with VELVET REVOLVER at Ozzfest and for a crowd of 225,000 at Glastonbury Festival with SIMPLE MINDS. Mark has appeared on nearly every American, European and Australian variety show including The Grammys, David Letterman, The Tonight Show, Conan O’Brian, Jon Stewart, American Idol, Paul O’ Grady, X-Factor, Wetten Das, The Arias and more.

 

Schulman is one of three judges on the new reality music show, BANDED- THE MUSICAL COMPETITION which is the ultimate musical experiment- five put together bands of promising musical talent competing to win a major recording contract and management deal. Mark's first book 'Conquering Life’s Stage Fright’ shows people in all industries how to harness doubt, fear and anxiety as it relates to any performance or presentation and transform that into clarity, capability and confidence. Mark's book is available on Amazon.com and Guitar Center. Mark is releasing his second book (Post Hill Press), THE ATTITUDE EQUATION utilizing a groundbreaking formula: Attitude x Behavior = Consequence! Mark and his writing partner, Dr. Jim Samuels have interviewed Rockstar performers in all industries on how ATTITUDE has driven BEHAVIOR and produced CONSEQUENCES in their lives. As a celebrity speaker Mark provides three simple concepts to boost attitude and performance for all attendees through compelling stories about working with world class artists like PINK, Billy Idol and Cher, drumming performances with video and high energy audience interaction. To date Mark has performed over 1500 music seminars and public speaking gigs and has performed for over a billion people in his career! Music is not Mark's only driving force; he was the chairman of the board of directors of Create Now!, a non- profit organization founded in 1996, to help change troubled children's lives through creative arts mentoring. A cancer survivor himself, Mark has also motivated children and teens through his work doing seminars with the RONALD McDONALD HOUSE and benefits for the TEENAGE CANCER TRUST in the UK.

Schulman is a classically trained cellist and as a teen, played with the Los Angeles Junior Philharmonic. He played cello on the 2009/2010 P!NK tour! He is also a music producer, trained audio engineer and studio co- owner of WEST TRIAD RECORDING STUDIO in Venice, California. As an active educator, Mark taught at the LOS ANGELES MUSIC ACADEMY and as one of the world’s most sought after drum clinicians hosting clinics in countries around the world. Mark produced his first DVD in his studio entitled, ‘A Day in the Recording Studio; A Do-It-Yourself Guide to Recording Great Drum Tracks for Drummers and All Musicians’ distributed by Hudson Music. The MARK SCHULMAN SIGNATURE SNARE DRUM is one of the best selling signature product in the history of GRETSCH.

Joe Woodard

As an author, consultant, business coach, and national speaker, Joe has trained over 125,000 accounting and business professionals in areas of practice development, changing technology trends, strategic consulting, and how to maximize the use of accounting software in their practices.  

Joe is the CEO of Woodard®️ and one of the world’s leading training conferences for small business advisors called Scaling New Heights®️. In 2012 and 2014-2022, Joe was recognized by Accounting Today as one of the Top 100 InfluentialPeople within the accounting profession.  

Joe regularly publishes articles for Intuit publications and for Insightful Accountant, and Joe has been featured repeatedly in Accounting Today and AccountingWEB in both articles and in video interviews. Joe is the CEO of Woodard Events, LLC which provides education, coaching, resources, and a community for small business advisors and small business owners within the accounting industry. 

Ron Baker

Radio Talk-Show Host, The Soul of Enterprise

Ronald J. Baker started his CPA career in 1984 with KPMG’s Private Business Advisory Services in San Francisco. Today, he is the founder of VeraSage Institute—the leading think tank dedicated to educating professionals internationally—a radio talk-show host on the www.VoiceAmerica.com

show: The Soul of Enterprise: Business in the Knowledge Economy.

 

Ron has authored seven best-selling books, including: The Firm of the Future; Pricing on Purpose; Measure What Matters to Customers; and Implementing Value Pricing. His latest book, co-authored with Paul Dunn, Time’s Up!: The Subscription Business Model for Professional Firms, was published in November 2022.

Ron has toured the world, spreading his value-pricing message to over 275,000 professionals. He has been named on Accounting Today’s 2001-2007, and 2011-2022 Top 100 and Top 10 Most Influential People in the profession; and inducted into the CPA Practice Advisor Hall of Fame in 2018. He is a faculty member of the Professional Pricing Society. He presently resides in Petaluma, California.

Dawn Brolin, CPA, CFE

Dawn Brolin is The Designated Motivator for Accounting Professionals and the CEO of Powerful Accounting, Inc.

For more than two decades, Dawn has been a well-known and respected educator and motivator for her clients, other accounting professionals and technology solution providers. She is known for innovative collaborations within the accounting profession including with her technology ecosystem partners which are included in her Team Brolin Starting Lineup.

Dawn is a member of the Intuit Tax Council, the ADP Advisory Board, and the Avalara QuickBooks Advisory Board. She has also received many designations and recognitions throughout her career including the most recent “The 2022 Top Presenters Awards“ by CPAacademy.org as well as Insightful Accountant’s 2020 Top Niche Practice ProAdvisor: Forensics” and one of Accounting Today’s “2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021 Top 100 Most Influential People in Accounting.”

As an in-demand thought leader, speaker, and the author of The Designated Motivator and The Designated Motivator for Accounting Professionals, Dawn believes that motivation and strategic planning is not a one-time event, it is a critical part of being able to achieve the success you want for yourself and your team.

Dawn has appeared on many top-rated news programs and is consistently recognized with awards of distinction in the accounting profession. She has delivered hundreds of webinars and keynote speeches and works with many technology solution providers to help them better understand how to create and market their solutions. She is also a Designated Motivator to her peers and the collegiate softball team she is the assistant coach of at Eastern Connecticut State University.

Dawn's podcast, The DM Disruption podcast can be listened to on Apple, Spotify and Google as well as on her website, DawnBrolin.com.

Mike Michalowicz

By his 35th birthday MIKE MICHALOWICZ (pronounced mi-‘kal-o-wits) had founded and sold two multi-million dollar companies.

Confident that he had the formula to success, he became a small business angel investor… and proceeded to lose his entire fortune. Then he started all over again, driven to find better ways to grow healthy, strong companies. Mike has devoted his life to the research and delivery of innovative, impactful entrepreneurial strategies to you.

Mike is the creator of Profit First, which is used by hundreds of thousands of companies across the globe to drive profit. He is the creator of Clockwork, a powerful method to make any business run on automatic. In his 2020 release Fix This Next, Mike details the strategy businesses can use to determine what to do, in what order, to ensure healthy, fast, permanent growth (and avoid debilitating distractions). His latest book Get Different (released September 21, 2021) will give you the tools to stand out in any market.

Today, Mike leads two new multi-million-dollar ventures, as he tests his latest business research for his books. He is a former small business columnist for The Wall Street Journal and business makeover specialist on MSNBC. Mike is a popular main stage keynote speaker on innovative entrepreneurial topics; and is the author of Get Different, Fix This Next, Clockwork, Profit First, Surge, The Pumpkin Plan and The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur.

Fabled author, Simon Sinek deemed Mike Michalowicz “…the top contender for the patron saint of entrepreneurs.”

Heather Satterley

Heather’s passion for helping others and her love for technology have shaped her career in public accounting. Her affinity for facilitating change within an organization is paramount to her work, helping businesses design and automate their business processes using cutting-edge technologies. Heather wholeheartedly believes in the power of community and the magic that is created when people work together toward the same purpose.

In addition to her work with Woodard, Heather is the co-host of The Appy Hour with Liz and Heather, a webinar series devoted to demystifying the world of technology and apps in the accounting profession. She is also the co-creator and producer of Appy Hour Camp, a collaborative retreat experience created to connect and nurture the relationship between accounting professional educators and software developers.

Heather was named a categorical top 10 ProAdvisor in 2017 and 2019 and was listed as one of the top influential people in accounting by Accounting Today in 2019.

Breakout Session Instructors

Amanda Aguillard

Breakout Instructor

Amanda Aguillard was only 16 years old when she realized she wanted to become a CPA, and she’s used that passion to encourage innovation in the industry she loves. That commitment lives on through her work as the Chief Operating Officer of Padgett, one of North America’s largest accounting service and business consulting providers.

Amanda oversees operational and logistical guidance for the company’s network of firms. This includes identifying and incorporating the latest cloud technologies into the Padgett operating model. She also is focused on developing and facilitating the necessary trainings to ensure these platforms and tools are successfully implemented by Padgett firms.

Amanda, who is a past Top 50 Women in Accounting, is the author of Xero: A Comprehensive Guide for Accountants and Bookkeepers. She was the Xero Evangelist of the Year in 2016, and used her experience as a Xero Certification instructor to co-found Elefant, a continuing education company for accountants and bookkeepers.

Prior to joining the executive team at Padgett, she ran Aguillard Accounting LLC, focusing her efforts on providing unparalleled client support service through a cloud-based practice that could be done anywhere in the world. Amanda also is the founder of Accounting Salon, a thinktank of cloud accounting experts, and its virtual offshoot, SALONv.

Amanda, who holds a Master’s Degree in Taxation from the University of Denver, regularly speaks at state CPA societies and industry technology conferences, including Accountex, Engage, Clio Cloud Conference and Xerocon.

When she’s not advocating for her industry, she spends her time cooking for her two children, reading historical fiction and backcountry hiking.

Joe Aliota

Breakout Instructor

Senior consultant at Mendelson Consulting, sole owner/consultant at Accounting Solutions & More LLC in Ridgway, CO, part-time employee at Porter & Sack CPAs in Madison, WI. Past presenter at SNH 2019 thru 2022.

Norman Axelman

Breakout Instructor

Norman Axelman, a nationally acclaimed computer instructor and consultant, is the founder of Advantage Computer Solutions, based in Miami, Florida. Advantage Computer Solutions has been offering superior computer training and consulting services to individuals and businesses since 2001, savings clients thousands of hours of time, and commensurate payroll expense. With over 30 years of professional experience, Mr. Axelman provides an outstanding level of computer training with a focus on useful and practical day-to-day features, formulas and shortcuts, resulting in increased efficiency and productivity, and as a Quickbooks Pro Advisor, has helped many clients with set up and use of the Quickbooks program.

Mr. Axelman has been an adjunct professor for the Miami Dade College School of Continuing Education, has been retained as a computer instructor for a yearly national convention that draws over 1,200 accounting professionals, and has delivered presentations for CPA Academy, Insightful Accountants, and many other companies and organizations.

Alison Ball

Breakout Instructor

Alison is passionate about helping to transform the lives of accounting professionals by shifting the time spent on admin work in favor of the joyful client work. Before joining Liscio in August 2020, Alison spent 15 years leading accountant influencer programs at Intuit, and prior to that, she was an accountant herself. She believes that life is too short to spend it with mean people, and any day she can help someone else be successful is a good day indeed.

Davis Bell

Breakout Instructor

Bio: Davis has held leadership roles in strategy, operations, and finance at a succession of SaaS companies. He is passionate about building innovative software that delights users. He used to have hobbies but now he has kids.

Robina Bennion

Breakout Instructor

Robina loves working with successful leaders and guiding them in their transformation to becoming Soul-cess-full leaders through curated experiences to up-level the way they set goals, liberate their soul, and empower them to increase their wealth.

As a Soul~Self~Wealth Doula, Certified Money Coach, CPA (retired) and 25+ years of accounting and business experience Robina brings a unique blend of knowledge and guidance in supporting her clients within the accounting industry.

Connect with Robina and you will be invited to dream again and create a life that sparks joy.

Candy Bellau

Breakout instructor

Candy Bellau, CFE founded Kramerica Business Solutions. Kramerica specializes in audit/review/valuation/cleanup assistance and outsourced Controller services. Candy also works with industry leader, Woodard, as a Coach for their members.

Nicholas Christians

Breakout Instructor

As a productivity solutions consultant, Nick provides partners with guidance across Microsoft’s Modern Work and Business Application clouds. In addition to helping partners navigate their licensing and implementation needs across those clouds, Nick also helps partners navigate other parts of the Microsoft ecosystem, such as the Microsoft Cloud Partner Program and the CSP program. With Nick's help, partners are able to navigate these different programs and clouds confidently. Nick also holds MS900 and SC900 certifications from Microsoft. Nick strives to help all partners get more involved and entrenched in the Microsoft ecosystem to improve not only their business processes, but their clients' as well. 

 

Ernest Cook

Breakout Instructor

Ernest Cook, Principal Data Engineer of Better Idea Group, is an accounting professional who became a software developer early in his career. After a decade working in Fortune 500 companies deploying accounting systems on three continents, he fed his entrepreneurial spirit by starting three companies.

Ernest has developed expertise in QuickBooks data architecture, Power BI and Crystal reports and his current company has created multiple published QuickBooks desktop add-on products. Ernest’s technical knowledge is highlighted by the many certifications he holds and has come from decades of architecting accounting system solutions.  

Tracy Cooper

breakout instructor

Tracy an Excel master who has spent most of her professional career melding technology and accounting. After a successful career in public accounting and the telecom industry, she founded her own firm, tlb services, which specializes in helping small businesses solve problems, with their accounting, reporting and systems.

Tracy is a mom, who is enjoying the empty-nest life with her fabulous husband. In recent years, she has learned to fly and currently enjoys soaring above the clouds to get away from it all!

Korey Cournoyer

Breakout Instructor

Korey is the Director of Corporate Development at GrowthLab FaaS, focusing his time on process improvement & automations internally and for other accounting firms.

Randy Crabtree

Breakout Instructor

Randy Crabtree, co-founder and partner of Tri-Merit Specialty Tax Professionals, is a widely followed author, lecturer and podcast host for the accounting profession.

Nicole Davis

Breakout Instructor

Nicole Davis is the founder and CEO of Butler-Davis, a tax and accounting firm in Georgia. She brings more than a decade of experience in accounting, tax, financial management and advisory services to clients of all sizes in various industries. Nicole specializes in tax strategy, small business accounting with specialties in construction, pharmacies, and service-based businesses.

Before founding Butler-Davis, Nicole spent most of her career in the industry with Fortune 500 companies. She began her career with ConocoPhillips in Oklahoma.

 Nicole is a member of the American Institute of CPAs and the Georgia Society of CPAs. She earned a Master of Business Administration from the University of Tulsa and graduated summa cum laude from Grambling State University earning a Bachelor of Science in accounting.

Nicole and her husband JW live in Conyers, Georgia and have five kids. She enjoys traveling, cooking and watching reality TV during her free time.

Deborah Defer

Breakout Instructor

Deborah has more than 30 years of accounting experience. She is the technology lead for the platform as it relates to QuickBooks Online along with the multitude of third-party applications. She focuses on QuickBooks administration, receivables/payables, payroll setup and processing, financial reports, business workflows, and technology selection.

Deborah primarily spends her time consulting with clients regarding QuickBooks matters. Training, system analysis, integration, and implementation of third-party applications for QuickBooks, and troubleshooting issues are areas of concentration.

She is an Advanced Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor®, Advanced QuickBooks Online Certified ProAdvisor®, Certified Enterprise QuickBooks ProAdvisor®, Expert Certification for Bill.com, and QuickBooks Time. Deborah has also been selected to the Influencers by Intuit, Top 100 ProAdvisor 2015-2022, Top Business Process Outsourcing ProAdvisor of 2015, Top QBO App-Ologist ProAdvisor in 2022 by Insightful Accountant.

Deborah also is a member of the Large Firm Council for Intuit, BILL Advisory Board, Expensify Steering Committee, and Intuit's Trainer/Writer Network.

Dan DeLong

breakout instructor

Dan DeLong, founder of Danwidth, is a born troubleshooter and problem-solver. His vision is to bring all of his life's work experiences into one endeavor to give you the available time to remove things from your business' to-do list enabling you to do what you love.

Dan brings decades of Intuit Tech support experience, and co-host of the QB Power Hour webinar series.

His technical know-how of the QuickBooks Product lineup is a perfect fit for schoolofbookkeeping.com.

Sean Duncan, CPA

Breakout instructor

As President and Founder of SMD Consulting & Accounting LLC and Chief Proactive Advisors LLC; Sean works to enhance the value, profitability, and joy of his friends and peers in the world of accounting through his Chief Proactive Advisor program.

Jennifer Dymond

Breakout Instructor

Dymond is not your typical accounting professional. She is passionate about the transformative power of small business. Dymond is attracted to driven business owners who leverage innovative technology to sustainably serve the community. She partners with people-focused businesses to supercharge and amplify their positive impact. She believes in creative solutions that achieve a triple win for PEOPLE, PLANET and PROFITS.

She offers her clients creative solutions to improve their business processes. With a strong background in technology, public accounting, and small business advisory services, she helps companies optimize their operations and proactively manage their accounting systems and processes.

Ingrid Edstrom

Breakout Instructor

Ingrid Edstrom is the Chief Empowerment Officer at the award winning consulting firm, Priestess Of Profits, LLC. She is a Woodard Certified Business Coach. She has been recognized as one of the accounting profession's Top 40 Under 40, Most Powerful Women in Accounting, a Top 100 ProAdvisor, and the 2017 Top "Up-N-Comer" ProAdvisor. Ingrid is the leader of the Empower Your Passion mastermind group for accountants through the RoundtableLabs community, a member of the Intuit Trainer/Writer Network, board treasurer of the Post Growth Institute, and a founder of the Accounting Alchemy Network. When Ingrid is not teaching & consulting, she is usually playing Irish music or frolicking with her goats.

Sharrin Fuller

Breakout Instructor

Sharrin Fuller is the CEO and founder of Glass Wallet Ventures and is a managing partner of two growing accounting firms, Fit CFO and Blueprint Financial.

Fuller is an esteemed advisory coach to business firm owners and a prominent thought leader and speaker in the accounting and bookkeeping profession. She specializes in consulting on business strategy, human capital optimization, partnerships, and entrepreneurship.

After successfully starting, scaling, and selling her accounting and bookkeeping practice A Simple Office Solution, Sharrin developed the Scalable to Saleable System and Remote Team Roadmap to help accounting firms position themselves for growth and eventual acquisition with maximum productivity from their teams.

Sharrin's straightforward, candid, and practical perspectives on what it takes to succeed in business combined with her real-world strategies for starting and successfully growing them into multi-million-dollar businesses make her an in-demand consultant and speaker.

In business since 2006, Sharrin has also created major partnerships with payroll, timekeeping, and benefits companies. She is an ADP Advisory Board Member and has consulted with many accounting and bookkeeping practices to help them maximize their financial, operational, and human resources.

Marie Gibson

Breakout Instructor

Marie Gibson, an online accounting educator, with a PhD in Online Learning, has a big heart for entrepreneurs and small business owners! She helps them make more money and keep more of it by creating accounting systems that are fast, easy, effective and accurate! Marie, a member of Intuit’s National Trainer Writer Network, built her online business to better serve busy entrepreneurs who need help using their numbers to make decisions–all without spending hours agonizing over their books.

Removing stumbling blocks and enabling business owners and entrepreneurs to have successful businesses is the source of Marie’s inspiration. She is thrilled to be leveraging her knowledge and expertise into simple, easy to understand programs and books which encourage business owners to break through their agony with numbers. They can understand that numbers are their friends and use them to make worry-free business decisions. As a trailblazer into the world of online learning, Marie is able to share what has worked—as well as what hasn’t. Receive her insights and inspiration as Marie encourages you to create your first online class!

Marie helps business owners KNOW their numbers… and make SMART business decisions! Her online programs help turn chaos and confusion into confidence for her clients.

This workshop will help you clarify how you can transform your business by turning your ideas into online classes, easily and simply!

Kelly Gonsalves

Breakout Instructor

Mix a creative mind with a number-cruncher, then throw in a dash of New York City attitude and what do you get? Kelly Gonsalves - a true entrepreneur that is all in, all the time. She has started three companies, so far, and is a force to be reckoned with.

Her first endeavor began just eight years ago when Kelly founded Totally Booked (™). The purpose: to assist every small business in becoming more profitable by utilizing efficient accounting processes. Kelly quickly became known for being able to take difficult things and make them sound much less intimidating, which helped her grow her client base quickly.

Where else has this passion for small business solutions taken her? Kelly is a QuickBooks Advanced Certified ProAdvisor (™), a member of the Intuit Trainer Writer Network, a HubDoc Top 50 Cloud Accountant, frequently on Avalara's Social Media Top 100, an Insightful Accountant Top 10 ProAdvisor, as well as the co-host of Insightful Accountant's QB Talks: App Neighborhood Watch.

Kelly spends her downtime paddle boarding on the lake with her dog, Nina, cooking up a great meal, or taking on DIY projects at home.

Eric Green

Breakout Instructor

Eric is a managing partner in Green & Sklarz LLC, a boutique tax firm with offices in Connecticut and New York. The focus of Attorney Green’s practice is civil and criminal taxpayer representation before the Department of Justice Tax Division, Internal Revenue Service and state Departments of Revenue Services. Eric is a nationally renowned tax expert and author/commentator of IRS civil and criminal tax matters. Having lectured to more than 70,000 practitioners on civil and criminal tax topics, he is one of the nation’s best-known lecturers in continuing professional tax education. Eric has been recognized by Connecticut Super Lawyers in the field of Tax, is a past Chair of the Executive Committee of the Connecticut Bar Association’s Tax Section and is a Fellow of the American College of Tax Counsel (“ACTC”).

Kathy Grosskurth

Breakout instructor

Kathy's primary focus is on providing training and consulting services to clients across the country. Since 2018 she's an Intuit Trainer/Writer Network member and since 2019 is a Top 100 ProAdvisor. Kathy also leads the Woodard Group of the Americas.

Denise Grove, CPA. GGMA

Breakout Instructor

Denise W. Grove is an Advanced Certified Profit First Professional specialist, Certified Public Accountant (CPA), and Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA). She is also a Guide (coach) for the Profit First Professionals organization. A business owner and entrepreneur herself, Denise shares practical advice with down-to-earth explanations, increasing financial understanding with emphasis on consequences and sustainability.

A graduate of Auburn University’s nationally ranked Harbert Business Accounting School, Denise’s accomplished career has spanned a wide array of industries and organizations, blending Big Four KPMG International Public Accounting, Fortune 500, entrepreneurial, philanthropic, and personal finance hand-on experiences. Through her business, CFO Support, Inc., Denise helps privately held family- and women-owned organizations, among others, reach their financial goals. In addition to group training and one-to-one consulting, Denise is a frequent speaker and writer working toward her life legacy goal of improving others' financial intelligence.

Denise & her husband live in Metro-Atlanta near her grandparents’ former farms. They enjoy travel, sailing, volunteer community activities, and time with family & friends. Her “Do Good” mission is to leave people and situations better than how she found them. Denise comes highly recommended as a teacher who guides others towards stable cash flow management and finances, leaving them to focus on what they do best – manage their business, organization and life!

Nana Guenther

Breakout Instructor

Nana is a Chartered Professional Accountant and Chartered Accountant with a passion for creating efficiencies. Her career began in public practice before transitioning to Corporate Accounting and Controlling roles for multi-national corporations in various industries incl. private equity real estate and infrastructure technology. Much of her focus over the past several years has been leading finance teams through digitalization projects, restructuring initiates, ERP implementations and process improvements. Nana is also a long-time facilitator for the CPA Professional Education Program. She joined Dext in early 2022 as a Practice Solutions Expert, seeking to use her expertise to make a broader impact on the accounting community and industry.

Robin Hall

Breakout Instructor

obin is President and Principal Consultant at VARC Solutions, specializing in QuickBooks and Quickbase training and consulting. VARC’s focus is on taking small and large business clients alike to the next level and teaching them to be self-sufficient within their businesses. 

She has been a QuickBooks ProAdvisor since 1999 (Advanced Certified since 2007), an Intuit Premier Reseller since 2006, and a Certified Quickbase developer since 2007. 

Achievements include being named one of CPA Practice Advisor’s 2016 Most Powerful Women in Accounting, Insightful Accountant’s 2016 QuickBooks ProAdvisor Top Trainer/Writer, Intuit’s Sales Excellence Award, Intuit’s Partner of the Year, and one of Insightful Accountants Top 100 ProAdvisors each year since 2014, Top QuickBooks Solution Provider Affiliate Program 2018, Top Payroll Partner-Executive and Top Enterprise Partner in 2019, Insightful Accountant’s 2022 Top Niche Practice ProAdvisor, Intuit FY22 $1M Club Achiever, and the Quickbase Services MVP award.

Robin is also a member of the Avalara QuickBooks Advisory Council.

Samantha Hallburn

breakout instructor

After a 15 year career in corporate America, I left to start my own accounting firm. Eight years later my passion is teaching others how to have successful businesses by learning how to use Quickbooks Online and having community to support them.

Patricia Hendrix

Breakout Instructor

Patricia Hendrix is the Sr. Vice President of Woodard Communities, Director of Woodard's Practice Advancement Team and Producer of Woodard’s Reality Style Case Study project, “Tech Makeover". With over 28 years of experience at the helm of an accounting practice and specializing in QuickBooks and QB-Ecosystem products, Patricia leads a team of mentors at Woodard that provide practice and professional transformation to business advisors to optimize their practices and improve their advisory skills through structured community learning, mentorship and accountability.

Patricia also leads an elite team of mentors in Woodard's Premium Program, a top tier mentoring program with highly structured leadership and executables designed to create significant wealth, balance and productivity for their clients in a direct mentor-to-leadership environment.

Patricia has been Certified and Advanced Certified in QuickBooks since Intuit's QuickBooks ProAdvisor program began and was the first to receive the Master Certification from the National Advisor Network. As well as being rated a "TOP 100 Advisor" by Insightful Accountant for 4 consecutive years, she is the founder and CEO of Ten Key Business Solutions, Inc, a 10-year veteran of Vistage International and a forever student of leadership, business management, parenting, and overall life management through spiritual awareness and the uplifting empowerment of others.

Bob Hollander

Breakout Instructor

Bob believes that being client-focused and harnessing innovation are core attributes of every successful organization, no matter the size. As CEO of Visory, Bob’s top priority is to ensure that the company’s clients receive world-class technology, cybersecurity solutions and support from smart people who are passionate about customer experience. He joined Visory’s predecessor, Swizznet, as President in 2019, and is leading the combination of Swizznet and the company’s wealth management business lines into one integrated, client-centric technology and cybersecurity solutions company.

As a senior executive in the cloud space, Bob established himself as an expert in helping clients navigate through the evolution from insourced IT services to private, public and hybrid cloud solutions. He previously served as Senior Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Business Development for InterVision, a Gartner Magic Quadrant leader in business continuity and disaster recovery solutions. Bob was also Senior Vice President of Sales at Savvis, another Gartner Magic Quadrant leader and an early pioneer in public cloud.  Bob has also held senior sales leadership positions at iPass and Worldcom. 

Today, Bob lives in St. Louis and is an active member in the technology and cybersecurity communities.  

Kate Johnson

Breakout Instructor

Kate Josephine Johnson owns Heritage Business Services, LLC, a virtual bookkeeping firm serving small business clients all over the United States. She can also be found helping other accounting professionals build a virtual accounting career they love inside her Bookkeeping Side Hustle Community.

She is a very proud Texan, Baylor Bear, and Navy wife. Her hair fits her personality. She is a morning person. Big time. She gets more done before 7:00 am (when her kids are allowed out of their room) than some people get done all day long!

As far as credentials go, she holds an MBA from the Yale School of Management and a BA in Economics from Baylor University. In 2020 she was recognized as a Top 50 Women In Accounting. She worked in corporate finance before opting to become a stay-at-home-mom for several years after her first child was born.

Randy Johnston

Breakout Instructor

Randolph P. (Randy) Johnston, MCS, has been a top-rated speaker in the technology industry for over 40 years. Inducted into the Accounting Hall of Fame in 2011, Randy is listed as a Top 25 Thought Leader in Accounting from 2011-2023. His influence throughout the accounting profession is highlighted once again this year by being a recipient of the 2022 Accounting Today Top 100 Most Influential People in Accounting award for the eighteenth consecutive year. Among his many other awards, he holds the honor of being one of nine technology stars in the U.S. by Accounting Technology Magazine. In addition, Randy writes a monthly column and produces a weekly podcast for The CPA Practice Advisor, features for the Journal of Accountancy, creates articles for accounting and technology publications, and is the author of numerous books. He has started and owns multiple businesses, including K2 Enterprises in Hammond, Louisiana, and Network Management Group, Inc. in Hutchinson, Kansas. NMGI has supported CPA firms for 30+ years and is the largest managed service provider serving the CPA profession in North America. His wife and four children enjoy many experiences together, including theatre, music, travel, golf, skiing, snorkeling, and model trains. His experience as a college instructor, management and technology consultant, and advisor to the profession will be evident to you in today’s presentation.

Cole Kaparos

Breakout Instructor

As a productivity solutions consultant, Cole provides assistance to our partners when navigating Microsoft’s platforms, licenses, and changing programs. He provides recommendations for Microsoft 365, Office 365, and Dynamics 365 licensing questions. The knowledge he provides to partners surrounding the Microsoft programs has helped set them up for success when approaching new opportunities. Outside of work, Cole enjoys spending time in the mountains skiing and watching sports with his friends and family. He graduated from the University of Dayton with a double major in Marketing and International Business Management. 

Esther Friedberg Karp

Breakout Instructor

Esther Friedberg Karp is a trainer, writer, & speaker from Toronto, where she runs her QuickBooks consulting practice. Consistently in Insightful Accountant's Top 100 ProAdvisors, she's been listed in the Top 10 twice as Top International and Top Trainer/Writer ProAdvisor.

 

Esther has been named one of the Top 50 Women in Accounting, a Top 10 Influencer in the Canadian Bookkeeping World, and is a repeat nominee for the RBC Canadian Women’s Entrepreneur Awards.

An Advanced ProAdvisor in 3 countries as well as the International edition of QuickBooks, she’s traveled the world with Intuit, spoken at various conferences such as QuickBooks Connect and Scaling New Heights, and has written countless articles for Intuit Global and the Firm of the Future blog. She is also a regular contributor to Insightful Accountant.

Esther's e-book, "Multicurrency in QuickBooks Desktop," is available on her company's website and on Amazon.

Roman Kepczyk

Breakout Instructor

Roman H. Kepczyk, CPA, CITP, CGMA, PAFM, is the Director of Firm Technology Strategy for Right Networks. His primary focus is helping firms throughout North America effectively use information technology and accounting applications by optimizing their tax, audit and administrative production workflows. He has spent the past 25 years consulting exclusively with CPA firms and 10 years with the CPA firm of Henry & Horne. Roman has served as a member of AICPA Council, PCPS Executive Committee, AICPA IT Executive Committee, and is also an Advisory Board Member to the CPA Firm Management Association and BDO Alliance IT Advisory Board. Roman was named by INSIDE Public Accounting as one of the profession's Most Recommended Consultants from 2005 through 2021, CPA Practice Advisor's Top 25 Thought Leaders from 2011 through 2022, and Accounting Today's Most Influential People in Accounting (16 years and counting). He currently writes for AICPA Professional Insights, Thomson Reuters Audit and Accounting Update, and CPA Practice Advisor. Roman also authored Quantum of Paperless: Partners Guide to CPA Firm Optimization, outlining 32 critical CPA best practices.

Jay Kimelman

breakout instructor

Jay Kimelman is the Dir IT and E-commerce Industry Lead for High Rock Accounting. As a recovering appaholic and a workflow automation expert, Jay delivers technology and consulting services to smb owners and accounting professionals and firms.

Ed Kless

Breakout instructor

Ed Kless is Sage's senior director of partner development and strategy. He develops and delivers curriculum on the art and practice of small business consulting. His topics range from strategy to innovation to subscription-based pricing.

Debra Kilsheimer

Breakout Instructor

Debra works with her husband, Harold Hickey in Behind the Scenes Financial, Inc. [BSFS] BSFS provides tax preparation, accounting and consulting services. After graduating from the University of Central Florida and passing the CPA exam, she quickly realized that accounting was not what she expected. She wanted to make a difference in people’s lives by using accounting to make decisions for the future not just record history and be in compliance. While history and compliance are important, she knew accounting could be “more”. She met Hal in 2002. He owned BSFS. They started working together creating a Proactive accounting firm and not Reactive one. After 20 years, the profession caught up to her vision! Debbie’s expertise is using QBO to solve client accounting challenges, focusing on streamlining processes and collaborating with clients showing them how their business is doing now to make changes necessary to impact their future. She loves sharing her excitement about this profession with her colleagues teaching webinars and at live events like QuickBooks Connect. When not working with clients, Debbie is an accomplished violinist and avid knitter. You’ll find her in their beach condo in New Smyrna Beach or Marco Island. Be sure to call her when you come to Florida! Debbie loves company.

Sara Laidlaw

Breakout Instructor

Sara Laidlaw - Woodruff

Serial entrepreneur, accountant & software designer

• 35+ years specializing in nonprofit accounting & audit prep

• Owner of TBX Trial Balance Exporter for QBDT

• 25+ years Certified QBDT Intuit ProAdvisor

• Conference speaker on accounting tech

• Don’t tell her that she “can’t” and get used to hearing “why not?”

• 5’12”, friendly, curious, sarcastic, technology geek!

or

Sara Laidlaw Woodruff, 35+ owner of Accounting Services Bureau Inc., a full charge outsourced firm. She specializes in nonprofits and is the developer of TBX - Trial Balance Exporter for QuickBooks Desktop.

Sara has had an interesting career.

By the mid-1980s, she was an accountant by day and restoring exotic cars by night. When informed that Price Waterhouse was closing her write-up department, she bought it. When challenged by a shipping company to find a program for International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) payroll, she wrote one and started a payroll company. Somewhere in her accounting journey, Sara became known as the local nonprofit guru, leading to nonprofits becoming 95% of her client base. With remote access, her clients are all over the US. When told that QuickBooks doesn’t export a trial balance by class or period, she wrote a utility that does just that.

The lesson?

Just do not tell her that she “Can’t” and get used to hearing, “Why not?” Sara’s purpose and passion lie in helping clients improve business processes most efficiently and painlessly. She is valued for her no-nonsense, down-to-earth approach to solving problems.

Michelle Long

Breakout Instructor

Michelle (owner of Long for Success, LLC) specializes in QuickBooks training & consulting. Plus, she consults with developers regarding feedback & input on app development, marketing, webinars & more.

She’s an international trainer for Intuit since 2007 & co-host of QB Power Hour since 2018. Michelle has been a speaker in cities across the US, Canada, UK, Australia, and Curaçao. She’s been co-author of both Advanced Certifications for QuickBooks & numerous courses for Intuit. Michelle is the author of 5 Books: How to Start a Home-Based Bookkeeping Business, QuickBooks Practice Set, QuickBooks Online Practice Set, QuickBooks 2014 on Demand and Successful QuickBooks Consulting. They are all available on Amazon.

Michelle’s honors include: Most Powerful Women in Accounting, Top 10 ProAdvisor (Top Trainer/Writer, Top Social Media and Friend of Intuit) and Top 100 ProAdvisor, Small Business Influencer Champion, SBA Financial Services Champion and more.

Dan Luthi

Breakout instructor

Dan’s current position focuses on our clients’ needs through process development, system management, customer care, and business development. In addition, being a member of Intuit’s Accountant Council, Intuit’s Payroll Council, Gusto’s Partner Accountant Council, a member of Accounting Salon, and Bill.com Accountant Council have allowed him to directly share immediate client needs and feedback with their key providers. Each of these partnerships and several certifications allows him to fulfill his joy of helping clients bridge the gap between accounting and personal goals.

Katey Maddux

Breakout Instructor

Katey Maddux is the CEO of Millennial Accounting, a boutique accounting and consulting firm that serves small businesses and accountants alike. She is a writer, speaker, and podcast host, having recently launched her podcast The Entrepreneur Life.

Laura Madeira

Breakout Instructor

Laura Madeira is the owner of ACS, Inc., a QuickBooks Solutions Provider located in the Orlando, Florida area. She has been named to the Top 10 and Top 100 QuickBooks ProAdvisors.

 

Laura is one of the founding members of the elite Intuit Trainer/Writer Network. She has been a guest speaker for Intuit for many years and is featured each year sharing with audiences What Is New in QuickBooks Desktop. She was also a founding member of the Intuit Customer Advisory Council.

Laura is an Advanced QuickBooks Certified, Advanced QuickBooks Online Certified, Enterprise and Point of Sale Certified. Laura is also a Sage Certified Consultant representing Sage 100 Contractor software.

She has also written several QuickBooks training books and self-paced training videos. Details can be found on her website: www.quick-training.com or by email: info@quick-training.com

Laura earned her accounting degree from Florida Atlantic University. She enjoys photography, art and camping with her sisters and their families. When Laura is not writing, she enjoys reading a good book or two.

Ted McRae

Breakout Instructor

Ted is an experienced professional with over 25 years of work history in the accounting industry. Over the years, he has developed a keen understanding of the industry and has helped numerous accountants and bookkeepers expand their practices by leveraging the latest technology.

Gaynor Meilke

Breakout instructor

Gaynor Meilke is a certified business and transformational coach. She is the owner of Charisma Ink, LLC, a digital marketing and B2B consulting firm that specializes in services for accounting and tax professionals.

Jon Melloy

Director of Marketing, Title Division

Jon Melloy serves as the head of growth for Practice Protect, the leading cybersecurity platform for accountants worldwide. With an extensive background in data security and the accounting industry, Jon works with accountants daily to ensure that their people, process, and software are positioned for security. With a deep expertise in strategic-first cybersecurity, Jon brings the war stories and mountain top wins from helping thousands of accounting firms in almost every geography upgrade their digital security.

Dominique Molina

Breakout Instructor

DOMINIQUE MOLINA is the co-founder and President of the American Institute of Certified Tax Planners (AICTP). She is also the founder of Think Outside The Tax Box, a bi-weekly e-newsletter on tax planning and tax saving strategies for tax pros and business owners,

and CEO of MidasIQ, online tax reduction education for the general public.

Dominique is the coauthor of six best-selling books, including Tax Breaks of the Rich and Famous, The Great Tax Escape and Get Paid What You’re Worth. Dominique frequently appears as a tax expert and TV guest in regional television markets, including San Diego, Los Angeles, New Orleans, and Honolulu. Dominique frequently appears in print, television, and radio programs, including CNN Money, and was named one of the 40 Most Influential Accountants by CPA Practice Advisor Magazine and a recipient of the 2014 Financial Services Champion Award from the SBA.

Lamont Nesbitt

breakout instructor

As part of the Practice Advancement Team at Woodard, my role is to help transform business through our business advisors. We do this by facilitating classes where we educate advisors on how to provide the highest levels of value for their clients. We further provide group and individual mentoring to those who choose to accelerate their progress by intentional actions and processes. It is my delight to help inspire and provide some accountability to these business advisors wanting to increase wealth, increase productivity, and have a more harmonized work life.

Prior to joining the Woodard team, I got my start in the accounting realm with Intuit, where I started as a technical support rep. I was one of those answering the phones for the very first Pro-Advisors so many years ago. After 10 years with Intuit, I spent a few years (7) travelling around the country teaching QuickBooks in two-day seminars. Many frequent flyer miles later, I decided to start my own company and in 2008 QBJedi was born.

Back then I had a rep as a “QuickBooks” Jedi, it was cool. Fast-forward about 12 years and while attending a Woodard class, I realize that many have the knowledge I did, that my true passion was inspiring and helping people to do something with it, not just provide the know-how. While my business is still QBJedi, my focus is all about empowering those who will, to have a “Quality Business” now.

Mario Nowogrodzki

Breakout Instructor

Mario Nowogrodzki is an information systems consultant and instructor. He is the founder and CEO of Mendelson Consulting, which specializes in software solutions to optimize business operations and maximize financial results.

Mr Nowogrodzki is a frequent author and instructor of accounting technology topics and a contributing author and speaker for Intuit, The Woodard Group, and other national organizations. Mario was named to the ‘Top 10 ProAdvisor’ list, an exclusive list of prominent consultants honored for their accomplishments and leadership in the field of QuickBooks, and was named Top Integrations ProAdvisor out of a field of over 500,000 ProAdvisors worldwide.

In addition to working with end users and advisors, Mr Nowogrodzki and his firm provide consulting services to accounting firms and other businesses. Find out how they help enable success through technology, www.mendelsonconsulting.com. You may reach Mario at mario@mendelsonconsulting.com.

Dave Olsen

Breakout Instructor

Dave is the founder and CEO of Nimbl and Nimbl Staffing. He is an experienced leader with over 15 years in cloud accounting and over 10 years in related offshoring. As a contract CFO for clients in a variety of industries, he adopted Netsuite in 2008, Xero in 2010, and QBO in 2015.

In 2012 he recruited a small team in India, and in 2015 he went all in on building a team in the Philippines. In addition to hiring people to handle his own clients’ bookkeeping, he also hired full-time people to place with other US companies.

In 2018, he began building a US team and later rebranded his cloud accounting and offshore staffing businesses to Nimbl and Nimbl Staffing.

Nimbl is now a remote team located across the US, Canada, and the Philippines that provides bookkeeping, tax, and FP&A services. Nimbl Staffing provides full-time, Philippines-based bookkeepers and administrative staff to North American companies.

Dave is a CPA in both California and Canada, and before becoming a contract CFO gained experience as a financial and IT auditor with a Big 4 firm.

He currently resides in Utah with his wife and three children. He enjoys taking advantage of the state's stunning mountains by biking, hiking, and snowboarding.

Nancy Orben

Breakout Instructor

CPA and Senior Manager at Blue & Co, LLC. Have performed data conversions from various desktop and online software to QuickBooks desktop and QBO for over 15 years.

Kellie Parks

Breakout Instructor

Kellie crafts processes and automation for future-thinking accounting professionals who believe in the mightiness of online technology.

She wants every accounting professional to love running a cloud-based business as much as she does. The keys to embracing the cloud are effective best practices, consistent communication and efficient processes, systems and workflows, which is why she has crafted dozens of pre-built templates - to take the pain of creating optimization in your firm - off your plate.

Certified or partnered in over a dozen cloud applications, she’s also a proud member of the Intuit International Trainer Writer Network and the FreshBooks Partner Council.

Kellie is a runner, water/snow skier and live-music fan.

She is always wondering what you would do more of - outside of work - if processes, automation & apps gave you your life back!?

Jeff Phillips

Breakout Instructor

Jeff is the CEO of Padgett, one of the largest tax and accounting firms in North America. Jeff founded Accountingfly in 2012, the recruitment platform that "is practically singlehandedly awakening the profession to the enormous potential of hiring staff remotely," according to Accounting Today. Jeff has been named to the Top 100 Most Influential People list 5 times for his contributions to helping solve the hiring challenges of CPA firms. His team has been making remote hires since 2015 and he works directly with firms to help them transform their processes and culture to embrace remote talent. He is a past-president of the CPA Consultant’s Alliance.

Alicia Pollock

breakout instructor

As a Top 10 ProAdvisor, Alicia has written five QB books, leads CPE webinars, & runs a QBO coaching program. With a Masters in Teaching & decades of tech experience, her deep subject matter expertise and sense of humor provide easy and fun learning.

James Pollock

Breakout Instructor

Jamie has worked as an independent business and tech consultant for over 20 years. With an innate ability to explain complex topics, expertise in all things iPad and iPhone, and an infectious sense of humor, Jamie is a master at helping people become confident in everyday technologies.

Vikram Pothnis

Breakout Instructor

Vikram leads Partnerships & Alliances at Fyle. Vikram and the teamwork with partners to reduce the time and effort required from the process of expense management for both the partners and their clients. He comes with an extensive background of working in high-impact roles in areas of partnerships, business development and solution sales.

 

Sarah Prevost

Breakout Instructor

Sarah, founder of Mintage Labs, LLC & The Proper Trust,  accounting firms that work more exclusively with attorneys and law firms.

Sarah is a Co-Founder of Create Collaborate, a boutique tax firm & the Accountant’s Law Lab, a private mastermind group where she helps other bookkeepers and accountants learn how to work with the legal industry.

MB Raimondi, CPA, CITP

Breakout Instructor

MB (Mary Beth) Raimondi, CPA, CITP, MS Taxation is an Advanced QuickBooks Certified ProAdvisor in both QuickBooks Desktop and QuickBooks Online as well as being certified in anything else Intuit will let her certify in.

She has been teaching QuickBooks nationally to both end users and accountants/consultants for over 20 years. She is a charter member of the Intuit Trainer/Writer Network.

The focus of her practice is mainly QuickBooks consulting and training, specializing in strategizing, researching and installing third-party add-ons and conversions to QuickBooks from other accounting software.

She’s part of the QuickBooks Solution Provider program, getting great deals on Intuit products and services.

MB was named the 2019 ProAdvisor of the Year by Insightful Accountant and has been in the Top 100 ProAdvisors for 2014-present.

mb@mbraimondicpa.com

Walker Roe

Breakout Instructor

As a productivity solutions consultant at Pax8, Walker breaks down Microsoft licensing and partner programs into a more digestible format so that the partners he works with are able to make more informed decisions about their business. Outside of work, Walker is a husband and father who enjoys outdoor activities and the occasional trip to the beach! Walker was formally educated at the University of Colorado Boulder; attaining degrees in International Affairs, International Business & Italian. 

Russel Sanderson

Breakout Instructor

As a productivity solutions consultant, Russell provides partners with guidance across Microsoft’s Modern Work and Business Application clouds. In addition to helping partners navigate their licensing and implementation needs across those clouds, Russell also helps partners navigate other parts of the Microsoft ecosystem as well, such as the Microsoft Cloud Partner Program and the CSP program. With Russell’s help, partners are able to navigate these different programs and clouds confidently. Russell also holds MS900, SC900, AZ900, and PL900 certifications from Microsoft. Russell strives to help all partners get more involved and entrenched in the Microsoft ecosystem to improve not only their business processes but their clients’ as well. 

Dan Schmidt

Breakout Instructor

A KC native currently living the dream in Colorado Springs, Dan spent 7 years in public accounting and 10 years founding and growing his own firm before joining Xledger as its US Head of Partnerships in 2021. With a multidisciplinary approach that matches accounting principles with data architecture and data storytelling, he is bullish on the industry's continuing move into advisory services. He also is passionate about accountant's opportunity to be the truth-tellers inside organizations and their ability to leverage that for healthier and sustainable business models.

Liz Scott

Breakout Instructor

Liz is an Advanced Certified ProAdvisor and a member of the exclusive Intuit Trainer/Writer Network. Along with running 2 accounting firms, she is the owner of Liz Scott Consulting LLC, where she takes up-and-coming apps to new heights. Liz is the co-host of the QB ‘Appy Hour with Liz and Heather, a webinar series devoted to building awareness in the accounting community about the latest technology trends and best practices in a fun, relaxed environment. Liz in 2020 was named as the Insightful Accountant Top Educator/ Trainer/ Writer ProAdvisor.

Teresa Slack

Breakout Instructor

eresa offers her clients the benefit of 35 years of experience in accounting. She is not only knowledgeable in bookkeeping, but in accounting and system setup, business management, sales and marketing, customer service, policy and procedure, staff leadership, and mentorship. Teresa has a passion for Shopify and Amazon Accounting as well as other e-commerce platforms and loves to help business owners and the accounting professionals that love them solve their e-commerce Accounting headaches. E-Commerce Bookkeeping is complex, and Teresa teaches how to make it easier for accounting professionals and business owners alike.

 

Professional Leader of the Year 2020

Firm of the Year 2020

Top 100 ProAdvisors North America 2019, 2020, 2021

Top 50 Women in Accounting worldwide 2019

Member of the Intuit Trainer Writer Network

Accredited member of The Certified Professional Bookkeepers of Canada

Jason Staats

Breakout Instructor

Jason owns an accounting & tax firm in Oregon, and runs Realize, an online community for accounting firm owners. In 2020 Jason began producing video content from his garage. He now runs a YouTube channel for accounting firm owners, and has produced commercials for companies like LinkedIn and Zapier. When he isn't tweeting, producing or writing, he's spending time with his wife and three young kids.

Dr. Sabrina Starling

Breakout instructor

Dr. Sabrina Starling is the international best-selling author of How to Hire the Best: The Entrepreneur’s Ultimate Guide to Attracting Top Performing Team Members and The 4 Week Vacation®: The Entrepreneur's Ultimate Guide to Taking Your Life Back from Your Business. Named a Top 50 Entrepreneur to Watch in 2022 by Apple News for her mission to disrupt traditional “hustle” culture in entrepreneurship, Dr. Sabrina and her team at Tap the Potential coach entrepreneurs through business transformations that give them freedom to take 4 Week Vacations while their businesses grow profitably in their absence. Check out the Profit by Design podcast for tips, tools and strategies to design a sustainably profitable business that gives you more time for what matters most, and more money in your bank account than ever. 

Shonette Sullivan

Breakout Instructor

Shonette Sullivan, MBA is the CEO and Co-Founder of The Shekinah Group, LLC Professional Financial Services. She is an authorized IRS e-file provider, an Advanced Certified QuickBooks Online ProAdvisor and a Certified Financial Education Instructor, Trainer, Speaker, and Educator.

She has a passion for helping small business owners understand their finances so they can make key strategic business decisions. She is committed to helping them succeed because it is a part of who she is. She attributes her passion and success to her parents who were both entrepreneurs. From an early age she saw how difficult it was for them to balance their businesses and their personal lives—they often struggled financially, despite working hard at both. This experience instilled in her a desire to help other business owners with their finances so they can avoid the stress that plagued her parents' lives. When they are less stressed about their finances, they can focus more on the things that matter most in life like spending time with family members. She believes that business owners deserve peace of mind while making a living doing what they love most in life.

The Shekinah Group, LLC offers small business financial services which include QuickBooks Online Coaching & Consulting, Advisory, Accounting, Bookkeeping, and Income Tax Preparation. The company also offers financial seminars which focus on empowering others with the knowledge to make sound financial decisions. The overall mission is to see others achieve financial success while finding peace of mind in the process.

Monique Swansen

Breakout instructor

Founder and CEO of AAS and AFG. Offering bookkeeping, controller, and CFO services, her firm helps clients understand their current financials and forecast their future. She is an author at Firm of the Future and CPA Practice Advisor.

Tricia Taitt

Breakout Instructor

Tricia M Taitt is CEO of FinCore (fincorestrong.com), a boutique fractional CFO services company helping small business owners build financially healthy businesses, feel confident in their CEO shoes, and choreograph the lives they want. Tricia recently published an Amazon best selling book, Dancing with Numbers: Grow a Financially Healthy Business and Choreograph the Life You Want.

A champion for financial education, especially for women entrepreneurs, Tricia has given keynotes and taught workshops on small business financial management, domestically and abroad. She holds an MBA from Fuqua (Duke U.) and a bachelors in finance from Wharton (U. of Pennsylvania). She started her finance career on Wall Street at Merrill Lynch and Citigroup.

Tricia is both a math nerd and a professional dancer, working since 2007 with companies like Forces of Nature Dance Theatre. In 2013, she joined the cast of the Tony award-winning Broadway musical, Fela!

Don Thompson

Breakout Instructor

Don has been with BILL for a year and a half and has focused on mastering the world of marketing. With an accounting association background, Don has a history of conducting multi-channel marketing campaigns promoting products to CPAs, attorneys, and finance professionals. When not extolling the benefits of AP automation, Don is busy cooking, traveling the world, and volunteering with various organizations.

Terrell Turner

Breakout Instructor

Terrell A Turner, CPA is the founder and CEO of the TLTurner Group a bookkeeping and CFO firm for law firms. He also is the founder of the Business Talk Library an accounting and finance media company that makes accounting less complicated and more interesting. In leading these two businesses Terrell spends a lot of time innovating the revenue and sales process so the business can continue to grow.

Vanessa Vasquez

Breakout Instructor

Vanessa Vasquez’s main focus is to help Entrepreneurs and accountants succeed by streamlining their small business financial management process through education and the application of technology. She has trained the community for over 16 years on how to use QuickBooks correctly and apply it to work less and get better results. With more than 697,000 visitors to her website, she has been able to give back to the community, here in the United States and Latin America, understanding their needs and providing the possibility of solutions for business owners and their everyday problems. She has been a presenter at Scaling New Heights and QuickBooks Connect, educator for CPAAcademy.org, Insightful Accountant, and Latino Tax Fest, organizer and presenter for Conferencia FIT, and co-host of Conecta Tus Finanzas. She is an Intuit Trainer Writer Network Member and writer for the Firm of the Future.

Named Top App-Ologist ProAdvisor.

Michelle Vilms

Breakout Instructor

Michelle understands the challenges of small businesses intimately. She works closely with them – and she runs her own as well.

In the 1990s, Michelle was part of the team that grew an office supply business from a small chain of retail stores to a $15 billion company. She held a variety of roles, ending up as the Director of Marketing Finance. But after 11 years, she made the decision to pursue her calling as a finance consultant. Vilms Consulting developed from that idea.

Today Michelle serves midsize businesses and non-profit organizations. She pairs the newest technologies with a tried-and-true human approach to accounting. She helps businesses get their finances in order and helps owners understand the numbers that can propel the business forward.

Michelle is a QuickBooks Advanced Certified ProAdvisor. She earned her BS in Accountancy from Long Island University and her MBA from Babson College. Michelle was named a Top 100 ProAdvisor by Insightful Accountant in 2019, 2020, and 2021 – and then in 2022 a Top Ten ProAdvisor. She was named one of the Top 50 Women in Accounting by Practice Ignition for both 2021 and 2022

Veronica Wasek

Breakout Instructor

Veronica Wasek is an accomplished entrepreneur, influencer, educator, and accountant. She is the CEO and Founder of VM Wasek – an accounting and consulting firm that specializes in helping Shopify sellers.

Her presence in social media is well-known, including her 5 Minute Bookkeeping YouTube Channel, blog, and Facebook community. She also runs the 5MB Academy, an online academy for virtual bookkeepers.

Veronica is a Certified Public Accountant and is advanced certified in QuickBooks Online. Her expertise has earned her a spot among the Top 100 and Top 10 QuickBooks ProAdvisors.

Veronica lives in Sugar Land, Texas and enjoys spending time with her husband Eric at their farm.

Lorilyn Wilson

Breakout instructor

Lorilyn Wilson is a firm owner whom excels at distilling financial concepts into takeaways that business owners find actionable and clear. Her goal is to equip business owners with the tools & support to grow their businesses with confidence.

Jayme Zublick

Breakout instructor

Jayme Zublick, CPA is a partner with Collier, Jernigan, Eastman and Zublick, PA from Ocala, Florida. She specializes in tax for construction and manufacturing industries, using QuickBooks. She represents many businesses in IRS and FLDOR audits.

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